Moyal Formulation of Quantum Mechanics

This is a review paper on the formulation of nonrelativistic Quantum Mechanics on Phase Space. In an overlook to the traditional approach, we present the basic concepts including the Weyl mapping, the Wigner function, the Moyal propagator and the Spectral projections. We discuss the advantages and the disadvantages of this formulation. We apply it to the study of quadratic Hamiltonians. The Stratonovich-Weyl correspondence is presented as the natural framework in which the theory can be extended to include spin, relativity and constraints. The theory of identical particles is also considered.     

Quantum Statistics of Identical Particles

Foundations of Physics - This paper is concerned with the causally symmetric version of the familiar de Broglie–Bohm interpretation, this version allowing the spacelike nonlocality and the...     

Identical Quantum Particles and Weak Discernibility

Saunders has recently claimed that “identical quantum particles” with an anti-symmetric state (fermions) are weakly discernible objects, just like irreflexively related ordinary objects in situations with perfect symmetry (Black’s spheres, for example). Weakly discernible objects have all their qualitative properties in common but nevertheless differ from each other by virtue of (a generalized version of) Leibniz’s principle, since they stand in relations an entity cannot have to itself. This notion of weak discernibility has been criticized as question begging, but we defend and accept it for classical cases likes Black’s spheres. We argue, however, that the quantum mechanical case is different. Here the application of the notion of weak discernibility indeed is question begging and in conflict with standard interpretational ideas. We conclude that the introduction of the conceptual resource of weak discernibility does not change the interpretational status quo in quantum mechanics.     

Entanglement and Non-Locality in Quantum Protocols with Identical Particles

We study the role of entanglement and non-locality in quantum protocols that make use of systems of identical particles. Unlike in the case of distinguishable particles, the notions of entanglement and non-locality for systems whose constituents cannot be distinguished and singly addressed are still debated. We clarify why the only approach that avoids incongruities and paradoxes is the one based on the second quantization formalism, whereby it is the entanglement of the modes that can be populated by the particles that really matters and not the particles themselves. Indeed, by means of a metrological and of a teleportation protocol, we show that inconsistencies arise in formulations that force entanglement and non-locality to be properties of the identical particles rather than of the modes they can occupy. The reason resides in the fact that orthogonal modes can always be addressed while identical particles cannot.     

Quantum Transparency of Barriers and Reflection from Wells for Clusters of Identical Particles

A method for solving the problem of quantum transmission through potential barriers or potential wells for a compound system consisting of several identical particles coupled via pair oscillator-type potentials in the oscillator representation of the symmetrized coordinates is considered. The efficiency of the proposed approach, algorithms and programs is demonstrated by the examples of calculation of complex energy values and analysis of metastable states of compound systems of two, three, and four identical particles on a straight line, which lead to the effect of quantum transparency of the potential barriers or quantum reflection from the wells.     

An Explicit Moyal Product Realization of Quantum Deformation

The h-deformation and q-deformation were estimated completely under the concrete Moyal *-product and induced Moyal product version.     

On the Quantum Mechanical Scattering Statistics of Many Particles

The probability of a quantum particle being detected in a given solid angle is determined by the S-matrix. The explanation of this fact in time-dependent scattering theory is often linked to the quantum flux, since the quantum flux integrated against a (detector-) surface and over a time interval can be viewed as the probability that the particle crosses this surface within the given time interval. Regarding many particle scattering, however, this argument is no longer valid, as each particle arrives at the detector at its own random time. While various treatments of this problem can be envisaged, here we present a straightforward Bohmian analysis of many particle potential scattering from which the S-matrix probability emerges in the limit of large distances.     

On the Mathematical Basis of the Dirac Formulation of Quantum Mechanics

We discuss various attempts to implement mathematically the Dirac formulation of Quantum Mechanics. A first attempt used Hilbert space. This formalization realizes the Dirac formalism if and only if the spectra of the observables under consideration is purely discrete. Therefore, generalized spectral decompositions are needed. These spectral decompositions can be constructed in the framework of rigged Hilbert spaces. We construct generalized spectral decompositions for self-adjoint operators using their spectral measures. We review the previous work by Marlow (in Hilbert spaces), Antoine, Roberts, and Melsheimer and complete it. We show that these generalized spectral decompositions fit well in the framework of a theory constructed by Kato and Kuroda and that all the results can be reproduced in this framework.     

Non-symmetrized Basis Function for Identical Particles

We propose to use the hyperspherical harmonics (HH) basis to solve the A-body system problem without explicit symmetrization or anti-symmetrization of the basis functions as required by the statistic of the system. Therefore, the HH basis set is expressed with respect to a given ordering of the A particles. However, after diagonalization, the eigenvectors reflect the symmetries of the Hamiltonian, and it is possible to identify the physical states having the expected symmetry under particle permutation. As an example we study the case of four particles interacting through a short-range spin-dependent interaction and the Coulomb potential.     

Entanglement,Identical Particles and the Uncertainty Principle

A new uncertainty relation (UR) is obtained for a system of N identical pure entangled particles if we use symmetrized observables when deriving the inequality. This new expression can be written in a form where we identify a term which explicitly shows the quantum correlations among the particles that constitute the system. For the particular cases of two and three particles, making use of the Schwarz inequality, we obtain new lower bounds for the UR that are different from the standard one.     

Path Integrals and Statistics of Identical Particles

We summarize the essential ingredients, which enabled us to derive the path-integral for a system of harmonically interacting spin-polarized identical particles in a parabolic confining potential, including both the statistics (Bose–Einstein or Fermi–Dirac) and the harmonic interaction between the particles. This quadratic model, giving rise to repetitive Gaussian integrals, allows to derive an analytical expression for the generating function of the partition function. The calculation of this generating function circumvents the constraints on the summation over the cycles of the permutation group. Moreover, it allows one to calculate the canonical partition function recursively for the system with harmonic two-body interactions. Also, static one-point and two-point correlation functions can be obtained using the same technique, which make the model a powerful trial system for further variational treatments of realistic interactions.     

On Quantum Systems of Particles with Singular Magnetic Interaction

Abstract

For systems of particles with singular magnetic interation for special choice of a selfadjoint extension of the Hamiltoniam equilibrium reduced density matrices are calculated in the thermodynamic limit for simplest pair magnetic potentials.     

Quadratic Integrals of Motion for the Systems of Identical Particles

The dynamical systems of identical particles admitting quadratic integrals of motion are classified. The relevant integrals are explicitly constructed and their relation to separation of variables in Hamilton-Jacobi equation is clarified.     

Basis for Breakup States of Three Identical Particles

 A new basis for expanding three-body momentum-space states for three identical particles is studied. The basis states are simultaneously eigenstates of the total angular momentum and the total antisymmetrization operator. The total kinetic energy and two Dalitz-Fabri variables are chosen as the remaining three continuous variables. Zernike polynomials are used as a basis set for a generalized Fourier expansion in the Dalitz-Fabri variables. Born approximations to the nucleon-deuteron breakup amplitude (zero total orbital angular momentum) are calculated for Malfliet-Tjon I–III potentials and displayed in a Dalitz plot that shows the global structures of the reaction probabilities. Numerical results are presented, which indicate favorable convergence properties of the generalized Fourier expansion. These results suggest that the new basis set may be attractive in more realistic calculations. Received July 28, 2000; accepted in final form January 29, 2001     

The Influence of the Symmetry of Identical Particles on Flight Times

In this work, our purpose is to show how the symmetry of identical particles can influence the time evolution of free particles in the nonrelativistic and relativistic domains as well as in the scattering by a potential δ-barrier. For this goal, we consider a system of either two distinguishable or indistinguishable (bosons and fermions) particles. Two sets of initial conditions have been studied: different initial locations with the same momenta, and the same locations with different momenta. The flight time distribution of particles arriving at a ‘screen’ is calculated in each case from the density and flux. Fermions display broader distributions as compared with either distinguishable particles or bosons, leading to earlier and later arrivals for all the cases analyzed here. The symmetry of the wave function seems to speed up or slow down the propagation of particles. Due to the cross terms, certain initial conditions lead to bimodality in the fermionic case. Within the nonrelativistic domain, and when the short-time survival probability is analyzed, if the cross term becomes important, one finds that the decay of the overlap of fermions is faster than for distinguishable particles which in turn is faster than for bosons. These results are of interest in the short time limit since they imply that the well-known quantum Zeno effect would be stronger for bosons than for fermions. Fermions also arrive earlier and later than bosons when they are scattered by a δ-barrier. Although the particle symmetry does affect the mean tunneling flight time, in the limit of narrow in momentum initial Gaussian wave functions, the mean times are not affected by symmetry but tend to the phase time for distinguishable particles.     

Algebraic Formulation of Quantum Decoherence

An algebraic formalism for quantum decoherence in systems with continuous evolution spectrum is introduced. A certain subalgebra, dense in the characteristic algebra of the system, is defined in such a way that Riemann–Lebesgue theorem can be used to explain decoherence in a well defined final pointer basis.     

Information and Distinguishability of Ensembles of Identical Quantum States

We consider a fixed quantum measurement performed over n identical copies of quantum states. Using a rigorous notion of distinguishability based on Shannon’s 12th theorem, we show that in the case of a single qubit, the number of distinguishable states is , where (α₁,α₂) is the angle interval from which the states are chosen. In the general case of an N-dimensional Hilbert space and an area Ω of the domain on the unit sphere from which the states are chosen, the number of distinguishable states is . The optimal distribution is uniform over the domain in Cartesian coordinates.